From the FDA Drug Label
EGRIFTA SV is not indicated for weight loss management as it has a weight neutral effect. The dosage of tesamorelin used for its approved indication is 1.4 mg injected subcutaneously once daily, but it is not approved for weight loss.
- The approved use is for the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected adult patients with lipodystrophy 1.
- Weight loss is not an approved indication for tesamorelin.
From the Research
Tirzepatide, not tesamorelin, is a medication that has been studied for weight loss, with a dosage of 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg administered subcutaneously once weekly, as shown in a phase 3 double-blind, randomized, controlled trial 2. The study found that tirzepatide provided substantial and sustained reductions in body weight, with a mean percentage change in weight at week 72 of -15.0% with 5-mg weekly doses, -19.5% with 10-mg doses, and -20.9% with 15-mg doses, compared to -3.1% with placebo. Some key points to consider when using tirzepatide for weight loss include:
- The medication is administered subcutaneously once weekly
- The dosage can range from 5 mg to 15 mg per week
- The most common adverse events are gastrointestinal, and most are mild to moderate in severity
- Improvements in cardiometabolic measures were observed with tirzepatide
- Adverse events caused treatment discontinuation in 4.3%, 7.1%, and 6.2% of participants receiving 5-mg, 10-mg, and 15-mg tirzepatide doses, respectively. It's also worth noting that tesamorelin is not FDA-approved or clinically recommended for weight loss purposes, and its effects on overall weight loss are not well-studied or validated 3, 4, 5, 6. Therefore, anyone considering weight management should instead pursue evidence-based approaches such as dietary changes, exercise, and FDA-approved weight loss medications like tirzepatide under proper medical supervision.